


Let's Go Skating Because I'm Sorry I Accidentally Got You Shot That One Time

by slashmania



Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [11]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Arthur also doesn't like his ears, Arthur doesn't like the cold, Cold, Compromise, M/M, he also doesn't like the fact that Eames likes his ears, holiday themed knitted hats made by Eames's mother!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:02:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21664885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashmania/pseuds/slashmania
Summary: Arthur and Eames go ice skating (because yeah, Arthur still feels bad about accidentally getting Eames shot that one time).
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503791
Kudos: 20





	Let's Go Skating Because I'm Sorry I Accidentally Got You Shot That One Time

**Author's Note:**

> Day 11: Cold  
> 1,091 words

Arthur's previous thoughts on the subject of skating were: _It will be a cold day in hell when I agree to this, Eames!_

So of course today was icy and windy, and it was practically hell already. Eames wasn’t going to budge. He wanted to go ice skating and he wanted Arthur to come along. Arthur had learned that there were no loop holes, no trades, nothing. Arthur would absolutely have to be there with skates on so Eames could have the day he had been pleading to have since the last time he got shot. And since that injury had sort of been Arthur’s fault, Arthur had finally gone along with it. This is what happens when one says 'I think I got them all' but actually missed one...

“I hate the cold, Eames,” Arthur muttered.

“I’m aware of that, Arthur,” Eames assured him.

Both men were dressed warmly in winter jackets, scarves, and stupid looking hats. Well, Arthur’s opinion was that the knitted winter themed caps they were wearing while going ice skating looked very stupid, but Eames argued that the hats looking stupid didn’t decrease how warm they were. Also, his mother had knitted them herself, so Eames had to gently remind Arthur that it wasn’t nice for him to say shitty things about her presents.

Arthur had to admit that the hats were comfortable. He just didn’t like that his was Hanukkah themed. Also, it was easier to say that the hat made him feel uncomfortable because of the theme Eames’s mother chose rather than the fact that Eames’s mother had sent Arthur a hat, along with a little note. It was a sweet little note saying that she’d hoped that he would enjoy the hat she’d made for him. That it was made with love.

“She found the design in a knitting magazine and thought it would be a sweet gesture.”

“I have a Star of David knitted into my hat,” Arthur replied.

“But the whole hat is done in such lovely shades of blue and white, Arthur! She worked really hard on it!”

Arthur’s cheeks had reddened partially because of the cold, but also because of embarrassment. “I don’t go to Temple, and I don’t eat Kosher,” Arthur sighed in exasperation. “All I said to her was that I grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family! That my family viewed it as more of a cultural thing, rather than just religion, and now people are _staring at my head!”_

“Then you are wearing a bit of your culture, as you said, on your head. But it isn’t going to be for very long because we’ll finish up with this and then head back into the car. We’ll crank up the heat and listen to the radio, drive back home, and forget about the cold once we’re inside again.”

Arthur nodded and tried to not feel too emotional about the hat. He kept failing and falling back on annoyance. It wasn’t fair to Eames’s mother. It wasn’t fair to Eames either when all he wanted was to skate.

Arthur and Eames got their skates, and proceeded to skate across the rink in reflective silence while other people and families enjoyed the public skating rink.

“The hat really is keeping me warm,” Arthur admitted to Eames.

“I could tell because you’ve left the knitted material over your ears.”

Arthur grimaced. “That’s because my stupid ears stick out and make it annoying for me in cold weather like this. If I were smarter I would wear earmuffs.”

Eames looked at Arthur in shock! “And make it easier for some fool to try and shoot us while we are merrily skating like normal people?”

Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. “It really isn’t likely to happen out here, Eames.”

“Love, don’t call your ears stupid.”

Arthur grimaced again, knowing exactly what was going to come next. “Don’t you dare say it, Eames. I will let go of your hand and skate away from you if you say it.”

“I love your ears,” Eames said despite Arthur’s warnings. When Arthur attempted to skate away, Eames reached for Arthur’s hand in time to drag him back!

“I still love your ears,” Eames said once more now that Arthur was facing him and unable to skate away without accidentally tripping the small children that had just happened to begin slowly skating past them with their mother and father herding them along, smiling apologetically for getting in Arthur and Eames's way. Arthur had a moment where he wished he could get away with quickly punching Eames and running (well, skating, and then hopping to reach his shoes) but he had to be honest with himself; he’d never do that to Eames.

The children and the parents finally passed them, and Arthur allowed himself to be pulled into a well-padded hug from Eames. Their winter weight jackets made the hug a little difficult, but Arthur stood still and allowed Eames to hug him because this was something they did now in addition to skating, talking to Eames’s mother, and making compromises. They were slowly getting better at it.

“Okay,” Arthur said. “You’re allowed to like my ears. My stupid-”

“I _like them_ okay? You’ve had those ears for your entire life and you’ve developed a firm opinion about them being stupid. I just can’t agree. I’ve known you for several years and I find your years to be adorable.”

Arthur could go into some long-winded story about how yes, he had been made fun of for his ears when he was very little and hadn’t quite gotten to the point where he could calmly punch someone in the throat (because he was a child and wasn’t a badass point man yet). Yes, it had left a mark, but he just didn’t like his ears...he supposed that he could like them more now that he noticed that Eames did. He was the one person who hadn’t mocked him for them.

“Thank you,” Arthur finally said. “How about we skate around for a bit? It’s not so cold out, and it is sort of fun...I’ll buy the hot chocolate from the stand across the way, okay? As an apology. You get to love my ears. Even if they stick out.”

Eames smiled brilliantly at Arthur and said, “This is wonderful, darling! You don’t look so upset that your new hat, the one my mother spent several days working on, has garnered several more stares!”

Arthur took a deep breath and let it go. “Just skate with me.”


End file.
